The Runaway
by Skystalker
Summary: Huey has always been misunderstood, but what happens when the young Revolutionary leaves Timid Deer Lane and all those who know him? How will they fare? R&R Some hints of HueyXJazmine Rated T just in case.
1. The Runaway

(A/N: A lil short story about how our favorite denizens of Woodcrest would do without their precious source of guidance and wisdom, Huey Freeman! Even though they don't listen anyway...Hope you enjoy! :D)

Huey Freeman, ten years of age, had always been a boy of great wisdom and intellect in the lily-white town of Woodcrest. Disciplined, Serious, and Sarcastic, he was often misunderstood by both peers and adults alike. His appearance was rather strange, yet intriguing as well; Caramel-tinted skin, deep burgundy eyes and a wild, unusual-sized afro, the kid looked as if he were a Black Panther in training, which very well may have been the case in his future. His heroes were Huey P. Newton, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X...Almost any sort of Afro-American Revolutionary, past and present. Many children looked up to superheroes, parents, or cartoon characters. He merely shook his head whenever he was reminded of this. A very different child indeed.

This young intellectual lived with two others in the beautiful suburban neighborhood. His younger brother, Riley Freeman, was nearly a complete opposite of Huey. Reckless, Idiotic, and a gun toting gangster-to-be. He cared little about anything relatively important, such as the news, school, or respect for others. He constantly used swears and slang, not caring who heard him, even if it were their crotchety, angry grandfather, who just wanted to live the rest of his days in peace. Robert Freeman, or "Granddad", was not afraid to resort to whipping his grandkids if they irritated him. It was a very interesting household, each day bringing new adventures.

Granddad and Riley tended to get into the most trouble with irresponsible decisions. Huey's role was the wisdom or guide of the family, seeing as he had the most common sense. However, little attention was ever paid to his suggestions. Every warning the young revolutionary would give would fall on deaf ears. Most of the time, the two didn't pay much attention to him at all, and saw him more of a nagging 'parent' than a grandson or brother. This also lead to Huey's more secluded 'loner' nature, for no one understood him. Not Riley, not Granddad, nor the Dubois.

Tom Dubois, a law-abiding government worker who was black on the outside, but white on the outside. He was goofy, polite, but cowardly and somewhat of a crybaby. He always thought the little ten year old neighbor boy who spewed conspiracy theories had an active imagination. Huey did, but that never convinced him that his theories were wrong. These two didn't get along well either. Tom's wife, Sarah Dubois, was more of a laid back risk taker, disappointed by her husband's ways. Nonetheless, she loved him, hence why they married and had a biracial daughter: Jazmine Dubois.

Jazmine....She was the closest thing Huey had to a best friend. A giggly girl with large orange pigtails, bright green eyes and skin just a shade or two below white, she would always follow him around. They were opposites in a way as well, with her being optimistic and perky, and him pessimistic and cold. Oddly enough, they got along better than Huey did with anyone else. Despite her not understanding him much either, he felt she was a good source of unbiased compassion and listening. Sometimes an ear was all he needed.

Even though he liked his seclusion most of the time, being one that no one understood was a frustrating thing for him. He could hold no intelligent discussion or debate, and didn't have anyone who could really relate to him. Add that with no one really listening to what he has to say, and it equaled one miserable kid. He told himself to just deal with it, but one day, he decided that it was the last straw...

====================[Freeman Household]=============================

"Hoo! Obama won the presidency! This is a milestone in Black History, boy!" Granddad grinned as the TV replayed scenes of the election and Obama's victory. Huey was reading his newspaper as usual, looking bored. "First of all, Granddad, Obama's only half black....and secondly, he's probably going to get shot one week into office.". Granddad turned to him with a glare and a frown. "I don't wanna hear that talk now! Don't be jinxing Obama! Nobody gonna be jinxing Obama in MY house! You better respect him!"

"I do, Granddad! All I'm saying is---"

"Aye, Granddad!" A higher pitched voice rang from the kitchen, belonging to Riley. "Is it aiight if I throw some grease on the burner to make it go hotter?". Huey looked toward the kitchen incredulously, wondering what on earth was wrong with his brother. "You can't be serious...". To his utter surprise, Granddad responded with a lazy tone. "Go ahead boy! And be quick about it! I'm hungry!"

"Granddad, he can't throw grease on the burner! It'll set the whole house on fire!" Huey exclaimed, sitting upward on the couch. The elderly Freeman waved his hand carelessly. "Boy, you think too negative. Let the boy do what he wants, as long as it gets me a free meal!". The young Freeman couldn't believe what he was hearing. Didn't they know any common sense? Quickly he stood to try and remedy the problem before it even began, but it was too late.

[FWOOM!]

With a small explosion, Riley was sent flying and skidding to Huey's feet, coughing and charred a little from the smoke. Immediately, Huey ran to go get the fire extinguisher. Granddad leaped up, eyes wide and heart pounding. "Oh my goodness! My beautiful kitchen! HELP! FIRE!". In the hysteria, both Riley and his grandfather panicked as the kitchen was set ablaze. "Granddad, we gon' die!!" The corn-rowed child shouted.

Speedy footsteps rushed into the kitchen with the fiery blaze, and a fire extinguisher was pulled out. Boldly, Huey Freeman turned it on and sprayed the entire kitchen with the white, bubbly foam. Finally, the fire was put out, resulting in a smoldering, blackened kitchen. Luckily, most of the kitchen appliances were still in tact, despite the new color. A sigh of relief came from the boy, leaning himself against the wall. Riley and Granddad peeked in before entering. Not a single word of thanks or gratitude was given; no acknowledgment of Huey's bold actions.

"My kitchen! My beautiful kitchen!" Their grandfather mourned. Riley turned to Huey with a frown. "Nigga, why din't you TELL me i was gon' set the kitchen on fire!?".

This infuriated the older Freeman sibling, returning with a glare. "I tried to tell Granddad, but he wouldn't listen! If I told you, you wouldn't have listened either! Neither of you ever do!". Granddad looked to him. "Because you're usually wrong!". "And you gay!" Riley felt like he had to add. With a frustrated sigh, Huey tossed the Fire Extinguisher and stormed out of the room, eventually out of the house. The two left looked at each other.

"Whas' his problem?"

============================[The Hill]================================

"I don't get it, Jazmine....Why wont they listen to me? I can understand that I get a little annoying sometimes, but even you can figure out that grease on a burner equals a huge fire!". Huey threw his arms up. He tended to unload his feelings on the sweet little girl. As mentioned before, she was a good source for compassion, and a good rant box due to her being a listener. She looked up at the sky, fingers toying with a flower. "Well...Maybe they'll listen to you from now on! I mean, you did save them, right? Surely they thanked you!"

"They didn't...." He grumbled in bitterness. "Not a single word or hint of gratitude...Just criticism. They had the nerve to ask me why I didn't stop them, when I clearly tried to with Granddad! I can't take it anymore!". His tone was getting louder, which intimidated Jazmine a little, but it felt good to him to unleash it. A moment of silence passed before Huey stood up with a sigh. "They don't want to take my advice, or appreciate anything I do, then fine. They don't need me." Jazmine stood up soon after and looked at him. He continued to speak. "I'm packing up tonight and leaving..."

"Leaving!?" The biracial girl gasped, pupils shrinking. "Where are you going? What will you do?". She hated the thought of losing what she could call her best friend. Huey turned to look at her, burgundy eyes filled with the utmost seriousness. "Anywhere but here. I'm sick of all this. They can fend for themselves..."

As he began to walk, Jazmine latched onto his hand, trying to keep him from going. "Huey, no! They're your family! Maybe if you talk to them---..."

He turned to her, looking her dead in the eye, but with an odd softness rarely witnessed. "Jazmine...You're the only person in this neighborhood who has ever bothered to listen to what I have to say, or even care about my opinions. I'll always be grateful for that..." Slowly, his hand withdrew from hers. "However, I'm not going to stick around where I'm not needed. There's no point." Again, Huey turned from her and began to walk. "I may be back...or I may never return. We'll just have to see."

"Huey!" Jazmine called out, but there was no stopping him. She stood for only a moment with her arm outstretched before lowering it as he disappeared into the distance. Her hand drew close to her chest as an uneasy feeling welled deep within her heart. Huey was definitely serious about this; she could feel it, and it worried her.

Late into the nocturnal hours, Huey stood wide awake, packing many things into a backpack, including a couple of weapons for protection. Riley was sound asleep, snoring away the Z's. Huey glanced back at him every now and then with a mixture of sadness and bitter feelings. Once he was all packed, he quietly crept out of the room and down the stairs, past Granddad's room. He heard a snort, then soft snoring from there.

Where would he go? How long would he be gone? Even he didn't know, but the young African boy didn't care at the moment. He stepped to the door and looked behind him into the cozy living room, with big comfortable couches, a wide screen television, video games, snacks...He would be leaving all of this for an unknown amount of time. With lowered eyelids, he murmured quietly to no one in particular.

"Let's see how you'll fare with me gone..."

With that he opened the door, and closed it gently behind him.

Rather short but oh well. Hope you like! Next chapter soon.


	2. Huey is Missing

(A/N: Sorry for the wait! Here's chapter 2! Glad the three of ya liked it so far. :) and for some reason, I can't get the spacing to go right with these chapters...Any help would be appreciated!)

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The next morning, very little attention was paid to Huey's sudden absense in the household. Riley and Granddad were eating breakfast in the kitchen, a special buffet of meats, pancakes, waffles, eggs, and drinks. Granddad enjoyed cooking hefty but unhealthy meals, which Huey tended to protest. Little attention was paid to his dislike. As Riley shoveled another pile of food into his mouth, his eyes wandered to finally notice the empty chair in the three-chair table. After a moment, he looked over to his Grandfather. "Aye, where's Huey? Usually he's gayin' up the room!".

"I don't know. Maybe he's still sleeping." Granddad turned his chair a bit and yelled. "HUEY! GET YO ASS UP! ITS TIME FOR SCHOOL!".

Silence.

"Naw, he ain't in bed still....I checked befo' I came down." Riley stuffed a hash brown into his mouth. "Mebbe he wen' ta schoo' urly!" The eight year old muffled through the food. Despite his disgust, the Freeman elder went on. "This early? Seems kind of weird. Then again, that boy's pretty weird." Riley shrugged it off, not really caring, and finished his meal. He went upstairs, put on his good clothes, got his shoes on, and did the usual morning routine. As he came back down, he was grinning some. "Shit, not havin' Huey nag at me lef' an' right is pretty coo'." He admitted to his grandfather. Granddad nudged him out the door. "Just get outta my hair for the next six hours!" And with that, he slammed the door behind his grandchild. Riley rolled his eyes and headed to school alone.

During the school day, Jazmine noticed Huey was missing. She hoped and hoped that he would have just shown up late, but even to the last five minutes before class ended for the day, he never showed up. The mulatto girl even got in trouble because she was distracted in class. "Jazmine, please pay attention! I'm not up here teaching so you can ignore me." Mr. Petto exclaimed earlier in the day, waving a warning finger at her. In a flustered state, Jazmine quickly rotated back to face the front of the class, looking down. "Sorry, Mr. Petto...".

After school, she quickly rushed to the top of the hill on the outskirts of town. It was their favorite place to sit, so she assumed he'd be there. With a big hopeful smile, Jazmine rushed up with her feet pounding against the grass. "Huey! I've been looking all over--...for...you..." She trailed off, seeing that her beloved friend Huey Freeman was not there.

She was now becoming a little scared, rushing back the way she came to head over to the Freeman household. 'Oh my gosh...I think he really DID go away!' Jazmine realized as she trotted up to the door, panting from all the running. She knocked once...Twice...and before the third, Riley answered the door, arching a brow. "Whatchu doin' here?"

"Is Huey here?" Jazmine asked in some hope. The corn-rowed thug shook his head, the rows shaking a little with it. "We haven't seen the nigga all day. We thought he was atcho house or somethin!". The mulatto girl stepped past him, causing him to exclaim a protest. "He's gotta be here!" She spoke in a frantic tone, praying that he really didn't leave. Rushing up the stairway, Jazmine burst into the Freeman boys' room. One side of the room was clean and neat, with books stacked up on a shelf and a computer in the corner on a desk. The other side was messy and scraggly, with clothes and trash littered along the floors. The bed was messy and unmade in that side.

Both sides were empty.

"Huey...No!" Jazmine gasped, coming to the realization that he indeed did leave. Tears nearly welled, but she shook them off and bolted down the stairs. She ran past Riley, nearly knocking him into the couch and rushed out the door. Only a minute later, she burst through her own front door, to the surprise of her parents, Tom and Sarah.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Tom spoke in his usual soft voice. Sarah leaned over to look down at their weary and worried daughter. Jazmine took a minute to breathe. "Huey....He's gone missing! He's gone! We have to go find him!" The ten year old girl blurted out, eyes staring into the two pairs in front of her pleadingly. Surely her own parents would issue a search for the missing boy. They were both involved with the law, after all. They could send out policemen to search the city.

Her hopes were crushed as a soft chuckle came from Mr. Dubois. "Aw, honey, he's probably out being Mr. Revolutionary."

"No, he's not! He told me he was gonna leave and never come back!" Jazmine couldn't fight back tears this time. Sarah leaned down and hugged her. "Ohh, Jazmine...He's probably just looking for attention. A lot of kids do that when they feel they're ignored. He'll be fine.". Jazmine tore away from her arms, in disbelief of her parents calm nature. "Neither of you understand! Huey went and--Oh nevermind!". The mulatto child glared up at them a little before rushing once more out the door. Sarah turned and gasped. "Jazmine, where are you going?"

She returned no answer, the door closing behind her, and heavy footsteps getting lighter as Jazmine ran farther away. Before she knew it, she was out of the safety of Timid Deer Lane, and into the busy city streets.

The city was massive, with various buildings of all shapes and sizes. Jazmine had run into the smaller part of it, though her pace slowed as she grew tired again. The sights, the people, the lights...Being alone in such a place was almost dizzying to someone her age. This however, is where she began her search. A good hour was spent just roaming the place, calling out his name, and asking people if they saw an afro-wearing black child around. So far, no luck. This disheartened young Jazmine, until one rather old gentleman actually gave her an answer.

"A kid with an afro, you say?" The elderly man had a small whistle to his speech. Jazmine nodded eagerly, eyes shimmering. The old man continued. "Really angry looking?". "Yeah, yeah! Did you see him?". Rubbing his chin, the old man pointed. "I'd be angry too if my hair was as silly as that....but I saw him go down that way." The insult didn't matter now. With another brisk run, she thanked him and traveled in the direction he pointed. The old man smiled and waved.

"...Or was it that way?" He suddenly scratched his head just after she disappeared, pointing in a completely different direction. He seemed not to remember, but shrugged it off and continued with his business.

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Back at Timid Deer Lane, the Dubois couple stopped by the Freeman household. Sarah was rubbing her hands nervously, while Tom patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetiekins." He cooed affectionately. "I'm sure she's just over here playing with the boys!". His blonde haired, blue eyed wife looked up to him. "But she said Huey wasn't even here, and I dont think she likes Riley, dear...".

Riley answered the door yet again. "Yeah, whatchu want?"

"Is Jazmine here, Riley?" Tom asked, standing up straight. "She ran out the door after saying something about Huey."

"Man, why is everyone askin' me where everyone is!? I ain't no GPS system!" Riley complained, arms folding. "Jazmine ran out here too! I dont know where neither of them are, aiight?". Sarah nudged her way in this time, Tom following. The little gangster huffed. "Damn! E'rybody bein' so pushy ta'day! Who cares if Huey an' whas'ername went missing?".

The couple went to talk to Granddad personally. As they talked, it came apparent that both ten year olds were missing and nowhere to be found in the quiet little neighborhood. After realizing this, Sarah burst into tears, clutching onto her husband. "Our baby's out there all alone! Oh, Tom!". Mr. Dubois started crying too. After all, he wasn't very masculine. Granddad shook his head. "Maybe Huey an' Jazmine are together somewhere! Calm ya asses down!".

"But Jazmine was looking for Huey before she ran out!" Tom whined in an irritatingly high pitched sob. "OH MY BABY JAZMINE!". Sarah sniveled and wiped her eyes, grabbing her husband by the shoulders and bringing his attention to her. The sobbing stopped and was replaced by small whines. "Tom, we can't just stand here! We have to go out and look for her!". Huey still didn't seem to appear in the 'worry chart' of anyone in the house. Now that Jazmine was missing however, the whole neighborhood was alerted to the situation. Groups of neighbors searched the area, calling out her name.

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"Ohhh...I've looked for hours...He's not anywhere out here." Jazmine sat down at a bench. The temperature outside started to get colder, and the sun was setting. There were less people out on the roads and on the sidewalks, and street lamps were starting to turn on. After a moment's rest, Jazmine lifted her eyes. "I better get home...I'll look tomorrow...". However, as she looked around her, her heart nearly stopped. Nothing was familiar; No shops, no cars, no streets....Everything was different.

Where WAS home?

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Oooh, Looks like we have another one missing! These children sure know how to lose themselves nowadays. LOL. R&R! Thanks :D


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